One You Never Leave Read Free Page A

difference.”
    “Not according to the law, Mr. Icherra,” she replied sharply.
    Luke took out his cell phone. “Maybe we should get my lawyer in on the conversation.”
    “That won’t be necessary,” said Coates.
    “Maybe it is. You’re talking about matters of law and it’s my lawyer who has been handling my case. I admit my case is mess—unique. Somehow, and now I don’t even know how with everything we went through, WITSEC got my father, my mother, and me into government witness protection. All my identification papers came out of their program. As far as I knew, I was an American citizen. I went to public school, served in the U. S. Navy for heaven’s sake, and went to college here. Now, because of the screwed up paperwork of one government agency, I’m in trouble with another one.”
    The woman set her jaw and looked down at her papers. “And despite this, you marry an American citizen. It seems a bit too convenient.”
    “Is that so?” said Luke tersely.
    “When did you meet Emily?”
    “In high school. We dated.”
    “Is that right, Mrs. Icherra?”
    “Actually, my name is Wade. When we married, I changed my name to Wade so that when Luke did become a citizen we wouldn’t have to change two names. It’s all perfectly legal. Our lawyer assured us of that.”
    “I see,” said Coates, as if she didn’t. “And you met in high school?”
    “Yes. We were both seventeen.”
    “I see. So you were apart for an extended period.”
    “Ten years,” said Luke.
    “And how did you reunite?”
    “It was the sweetest thing,” said Emily. “He sent me a postcard telling me he’d never stopped thinking about me. It was one of the promotional postcards from his motorcycle shop,”
    “One of the old ones, from the previous owner,” said Luke.
    “That’s right,” said Emily brightly, “and I tracked him down.”
    Luke chuckled at that.
    “And when did all this happen?”
    “The spring,” said Emily.
    “We’ve been together ever since,” said Luke.
    “Well,” said Emily, “except for the summer. Luke was pushed into being an informant for the DEA and he didn’t want me in danger, so he pretended he didn’t want me.”
    “I see,” said Coates even more tersely. “The DEA. Why?”
    “The old president of my motorcycle club was dealing drugs, but they couldn’t get anything on him.”
    “And were you involved in his activities?”
    “No! I just did what the DEA wanted: kept an eye on him and reported everything.”
    “Uh-huh,” said the agent as if she didn’t believe him. “You realize that involvement with drug activities immediately disqualifies you for a visa to remain in this country.”
    “Look!” said Luke sharply. “I was threatened with deportation if I didn’t cooperate with the DEA. You can’t hold me accountable for that. I kept as far away from Kinney and his shit as I could.”
    “Luke,” chided Emily softly. “Agent Coates, perhaps you should speak with DEA Agent Leo Moyes. He was the agent in charge of the case. He’ll confirm that Luke is required to stay in the country to testify in the case.”
    “That may be so, but from what I see here I don’t see how Mr. Icherra can remain in the country. He was here illegally for longer than six months, and that usually requires that he has to leave and stay out of the country for ten years before he can apply for a visa to return.”
    Luke glared at the agent and Emily put her hand on his arm. “That’s why we have a lawyer, Agent Coates,” said Emily softly. “We’re aware of the difficulties of Luke’s unusual case.”
    “Oh, I see more than difficulties. The short time you were together before you married is a big red flag. Association with criminal elements is another. Being here illegally is yet another. Your unusual application process… the list seems to go on, doesn’t it?”
    “Well,” said Luke, “as my wife said, that’s why we have a lawyer.”
    Agent Coates stood. “We’ll be in touch.